A Newcomer’s Guide from SpokaneTW
New to Spokane
Moving to a new place comes with a lot of questions. SpokaneTW created this guide to help you get comfortable in the Inland Northwest, discover what makes Spokane special, find familiar foods and ingredients, and get outside throughout all four seasons.
Just Arrived? Start Here
The first few weeks can feel like a long to-do list. You don’t have to learn the whole city today. Start with what you need most.
A year in the Inland Northwest
Four seasons. So much to discover.
Spring
Water, flowers, and getting outside again
Spring is when Spokane begins turning green again. The river becomes especially impressive as mountain snow melts, parks and gardens reopen, and warmer days make it easier to get outside.
Spokane Falls · Manito Park · Riverfront Park · Centennial Trail · Early-season hiking
Spokane spring weather can change quickly. A sunny afternoon doesn’t necessarily mean you’re finished with jackets.
Summer
Lakes, trails, and long evenings
Summer is one of the best times to explore the Inland Northwest. Hiking, cycling, swimming, boating, camping, picnics, and evenings outdoors become part of everyday life.
Centennial Trail · Riverside State Park · Nearby lakes · Hiking · Green Bluff · Outdoor community events
Spokane summers are much drier than Taiwan. Wildfire smoke can also affect air quality on some summer days.
Fall
Harvest season and beautiful color
Temperatures cool, trees change color, and farms around Spokane enter harvest season.
Green Bluff · Finch Arboretum · Manito Park · Fall hiking · Scenic drives
Fall can feel surprisingly short. Once overnight temperatures start dropping, winter may not be far behind.
Winter
Snow changes how Spokane works—and opens up a different set of activities
Skiing · Snowboarding · Sledding · Ice skating · Snowshoeing
Winter driving takes some adjustment. Slow down, leave additional stopping distance, and check road and mountain-pass conditions before longer trips.
Your First Winter Here
Mount Spokane or 49° North?
For downhill skiing or snowboarding, start by looking at these two mountains. Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park is northeast of Spokane. 49° North is near Chewelah, usually a longer drive from Spokane. For a first visit, compare beginner lessons, rental options and the day’s road conditions before counting ski runs.
Mt. Spokane lessons and mountain information · 49° North first-time lessons
Keep the first trip simple
Book a lesson for the right age group and check whether rentals and a lift ticket are included. Arrive early enough to fit boots and equipment. Bring warm layers, a waterproof outer layer, gloves, dry socks and spare clothes. Ask rental staff to check helmet and equipment fit. Learning a little and coming home happy is a perfectly good first day.
You don’t have to ski
Snowshoeing offers a slower way to enjoy the winter forest. Choose trails that allow snowshoes, and stay off dedicated ski tracks. Mount Spokane State Park and the ski resort have different activities and parking requirements. Check the park map and current Sno-Park rules before leaving.
Mount Spokane State Park · Sno-Park trails and parking information
For sledding or tubing, check that the site is open and allows that activity, along with any age or booking rules. A snowy slope is not automatically a sledding area. For a first winter outing closer to home, try skating at Riverfront.
Skate Ribbon seasonal activities and rentals
In Taiwan, getting out the door may mean grabbing an umbrella. Here, winter can mean packing a second bag of clothes. Check the forecast, WSDOT road conditions and the mountain’s own road updates. If the weather looks rough, a day in town is a good plan too.
A little local knowledge
Green Bluff: Eat With the Seasons
One of the pleasures of living in Spokane is learning to shop by the season. Green Bluff isn’t a single farm: it’s a farming community north of Spokane, with independent orchards, U-pick fields, farm stands and places to stop for something good to eat.
SpokaneTW recommends making several visits through the growing season. Go for cherries on one trip, vegetables for dinner on another, and peaches or apples when their turn comes. Green Bluff is much more than pumpkins in October.
Find farms and plan your route with Green Bluff Growers
Let the harvest set the pace
Spring: Watch for orchard blossom events before fruit-picking season begins. Summer: Look for berries and cherries, followed by peaches and early apples as summer progresses. Fall: Apples, pumpkins and harvest outings take their turn. Vegetables change with the season, too.
These are seasonal signposts, not guaranteed picking dates. Each farm sets its own hours, and weather affects what is ripe. Check the farm’s latest update before leaving home.
Vegetables when you don’t have a garden
Eleven Acres Farm
10909 E. Day Mt. Spokane Road, Mead
If you live in an apartment or don’t have room for a vegetable garden, put Eleven Acres on your list. The farm offers a changing selection of seasonal vegetables and fruit. Go to see what is ready, then build dinner around what you bring home.
SpokaneTW tip: Bring reusable bags or boxes. Leave a little room in your meal plan for something you weren’t expecting to find.
Eleven Acres details at Visit Spokane
Call for current picking conditions: 509-238-9473.
Our cherry pick
Cherry Hill Orchard & Market
18207 N. Sands Road, Mead
Cherry Hill grows Bing, Rainier and pie cherries, along with raspberries. Cherries generally ripen in early July, though the weather decides the exact timing. Check the orchard’s current announcement before planning a picking trip.
A SpokaneTW favorite: Go during cherry season and bring home a box of Rainiers or Bings. See how long it lasts once everyone starts reaching for “just one more.”
Peaches, pumpkins and donuts
Beck’s Harvest House
9919 E. Greenbluff Road, Colbert
Watch Beck’s for peach weekends in August. In fall, its harvest festival brings pumpkins, a corn maze and farm food into the same outing. Check the current festival information for dates and activities.
SpokaneTW recommends: Make room for a warm pumpkin donut. Eating one outside on a cool fall day is a good introduction to the pleasures of harvest season.
A Peach With a Story
See a flat or “donut” peach at a farm stand? It may bring to mind 蟠桃 and stories familiar to many Taiwanese families.
In Chinese tradition, the Queen Mother of the West’s peaches are associated with longevity and immortality. In Journey to the West, the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, steals the immortal peaches and causes trouble in Heaven. A basket of peaches in Spokane can bring a surprisingly familiar story to mind.
Donut peaches are a seasonal pleasure we return for each year. In our experience, they are generally available locally during peach season. Watch for them at Green Bluff stands and local farmers markets, and check what is ripe before making a special trip—the timing changes with the season.
Fresh food, even without a backyard
Living Here Without a Garden
Asian markets help you find familiar ingredients. Local farms help you discover what’s extraordinarily good here.
You don’t need a garden to make local produce part of your routine. Try a farm stand, a seasonal farmers market or a U-pick visit, where you harvest the fruit yourself. Start with a small trip and a few things you know you’ll cook. A basket of vegetables can become dinner alongside the rice, noodles and seasonings you already keep at home.
SpokaneTW tip: Before buying apples or peaches by the box, think about who you’ll share them with and how much space you have. It is easy to head out for a small outing and return with twenty pounds of fruit.
Freezing berries can be a way to enjoy the season later. If preserving or canning becomes a new interest, start with tested instructions rather than improvising a recipe. For everyday use, ask the grower what is ready to eat now and what will keep a little longer.
Find produce storage tips and recipes from Green Bluff Growers
Start exploring
Six places to get to know Spokane
Riverfront Park & Spokane Falls
A great introduction to downtown Spokane and the river that runs through the city.
Riverfront & Life Around Town
Riverfront is somewhere to return to, not just a place to take visiting relatives for a photo. Walk by the river, meet friends, or build a weekend around an event. In warmer months, watch for food trucks, outdoor programs and community gatherings. In winter, look for skating and seasonal celebrations. The mix changes through the year.
See Riverfront’s official event calendar
Look beyond the park for Lunar New Year and other Asian cultural events, too. Spokane United We Stand is one local organizer with its own cultural programs, separate from SpokaneTW’s events. If a lantern display or festival catches your eye online, check the year, location and organizer. Last year’s lovely photos are not this year’s schedule.
Use these calendars for current dates, tickets and changes. For gatherings with our association, visit SpokaneTW Events.
A taste of the familiar
Asian markets
Looking for rice, noodles, sauces, frozen foods, Asian vegetables, snacks, or ingredients that aren’t always available at a typical American supermarket? Spokane has several Asian markets worth exploring.
Check current hours and ask about a specific ingredient before making a special trip.
Best Asian Market
East Sprague · 2022 E Sprague Ave, Spokane
An Asian grocery stop on East Sprague that can fit into a shopping trip on the east side.
Asian World Food Market
North Division · 3314 N Division St, Spokane
An Asian food market on the North Division shopping corridor. Compare its location with your other errands.
Canaan Market
Northeast Spokane · 1715 E Francis Ave, Spokane
The shop owner’s name is Susan. This is the only combination of an Asian supermarket and restaurant in Spokane. The store mainly sells Chinese goods. They source their products from Seattle weekly. It’s the best choice for those who love fresh seafood.
Check the current menu.
Lucky Asian Mart
North Spokane · 8915 N Division St, Spokane
A market carrying foods from several Asian countries, including snacks, noodles, seasonings and fresh items. Stock changes with deliveries.
Lieng & Phane Oriental Market
Spokane Valley · 13124 E Sprague Ave, Spokane Valley
An Oriental grocery store in Spokane Valley, a starting point for households shopping east of Spokane.
Saw Oriental Market
Division near central Spokane · 1601 N Division St, Spokane
An Oriental grocery stop on Division closer to central Spokane, easy to group with errands in town.
Use the current business listing to check the location and hours before you go.
Getting from here to there
Getting around
For many families, a car is the easiest way to explore the broader Spokane region, particularly parks, lakes, Green Bluff, and mountain recreation.
Settling In
Driver’s license and vehicle registration
Washington handles driver licensing and vehicle registration as separate tasks, sometimes at different offices. Read the state’s new-resident license instructions and vehicle registration instructions before booking. Check the documents, deadlines and steps that apply to you.
Schools & families
Start with your home address to find your school district, then ask that district about enrollment and language support. A Spokane mailing address does not always mean Spokane Public Schools. Use Washington’s school district maps to get started. Within Spokane Public Schools, use its school boundary lookup and enrollment information.
A library is a useful first stop
Along with books, look for family activities and community programs. Spokane Public Library and Spokane County Library District are separate systems, with different card rules and some different services. Staff at your nearest branch can help you get started.
Spokane Public Library cards · Spokane County Library District cards
Basic local services & getting help
When moving in, ask your landlord which utilities and trash services are included and which you must set up. Then check with the companies serving your address. For help finding community resources such as food, housing or health services, start with Washington 211.
For an emergency requiring police, firefighters or an ambulance, call 911. Read the official 911 guidance so you know how to share your location. The SpokaneTW contact form is not an emergency service.
Still unsure where to begin? Send us a message and we can help you find a starting point.
A few things locals learn
Practical tips
Snow
Give yourself more time to drive and learn how your vehicle behaves on packed snow and ice.
Mountain Travel
Check road and pass conditions before winter trips.
Wildfire Smoke
Summer wildfire smoke can occasionally affect local air quality.
Distances
The Spokane region is spread out. Many outdoor destinations are easiest to reach by car.
Ask Us
SpokaneTW members have already gone through the experience of getting settled here. If you’re unsure about something, ask.